AtLA: Zukaang Week: Impossible Odds

The wilds were no place for non-combatants. The immense amount of raw magic present in the very essence of the world of Atlas was largely responsible for this. More untouched something was, the more infused it was magic, which was why the woods, plains and mountains always had vicious monsters roaming them. However, it was also the reason why rural villages always had such plentiful crop. Because of all these things, it was very important that all towns and cities have warriors to combat any monsters trying to get into the village or to escort travellers between locations.

Aang had been trained to battle monsters and defend those weaker than him for years. Everyone around him had noticed that he hadn't been up to small town life and so Aang's guardian, Gyatso, had sent him away to the city of Easatema to be trained. That had been when Aang was twelve and his training had lasted three years. Since then he had been guarding his home village for two years and Aang felt quite confident in his abilities. In fact, Aang felt so confident in his abilities that, the time he ended up spotting a group of bandits during his patrol of the forest roads, he didn't hesitate in engaging them in combat.

The bandits had been harassing a lone traveller when Aang had cut in, and a quick glance at the person in question revealed dark, shaggy hair, and a pair of swords strapped to his back. Knowing that someone travelling alone must have the skills to defend himself, Aang called out to the other, who in turn prompted Aang to join in on unifying their efforts and take down the bandits together.

The stranger really was a skilled fighter, darting around the battlefield with speed that rivalled Aang's own, even casting a couple of offensive fire spells. But Aang himself was no slouch with his broadsword and their enemies were quickly dispatched.

There was barely enough time for the bandits to fall down before the stranger was rushing towards Aang, grabbing his arm and starting to drag him off. Despite having the advantage in height, Aang was easily dragged off by the strength the other possessed. All the while the stranger was ordering in a voice that commanded compliance: "Get a move on! Their reinforcements might be here any moment!"

"There's a town nearby!" Aang hurried to inform the other, who came to a screeching halt that would have had Aang tripping right into the foliage if it hadn't been for his familiarity with the forest terrain. Knowing that the other was for sure listening to him, Aang lowered his voice to speaking levels as he pointed out a familiar direction. "It's east from here."

"We can't stay long or in anyplace obvious or we'll be found the moment they start searching," the stranger pointed out, removing his hand from Aang's arm and shooting him a haughty look with one golden eye visible from under his bangs. Said bangs were longer on one side, covering the left half of the stranger's face and then curling to the side to fall on his shoulder.

"My house is inconspicuous," Aang offered helpfully. The other still looked indecisive and distant, though, so Aang's voice tilted in an even friendlier manner. "My name is Aang."

"Zuko," the other offered, somewhat petulantly, like a child forced to being polite by a parent. "They will come looking for me. I wouldn't want to place your town in danger." The other began to chew his lip, but quickly ceased the action as he continued grudgingly: "But I do need more supplies in order to keep travelling."

"Hey, living this close to the wilds, we have to be tough people," Aang reassured Zuko, grinning. "We can just grab whatever you need, have a quick rest and then move on."

"That sounds acceptable," Zuko conceded and began to move into the direction Aang had previously indicated. The two walked for several moments in silence before Zuko broke it by querying: "Did you just say 'we'?"

"Well of course." Aang grinned widely. "I can't just let you wander off by yourself after saving your life. I wouldn't be much of a hero then."

"So, you consider yourself a hero?" Zuko asked with a curiously, perhaps slightly patronizingly, tilted eyebrow. "What other heroic feats have you accomplished?"

"I'm in charge of keeping my home village safe," Aang said, trying to make it sound important even as Zuko continued giving him that unimpressed look. And so Aang thought of something more concrete to say: "Just last week took care of a wave of pests harassing the villagers."

Zuko released a hum that was very close to a chuckle. "You mean rats."

"Hey," Aang protested. "They were man-eating rats!" He huffed, before sneering a bit. "And besides, I saved you from those bandits, didn't I?"

"Assassins," Zuko corrected, almost absentmindedly, before smirking at Aang. "Still want to let me into your little town?"

"As I said, the villagers are tough and we'll be out soon enough," Aang reassured. "And those guys didn't seem very professional."

"Only ragtag mercenaries operate this far away from the big cities." Zuko frowned. "But there will be others, more skilled ones along the way. It would be dangerous for you to come along."

"You must be someone pretty important," Aang pointed out, growing curious. "What are you? Some kind of prince or something?"

A short bark of laughter escaped Zuko, stifled quickly by him bringing a hand in front of his face. He tilted his head a bit, giving Aang a strangely coy look. "I'm not sure if you've heard of this, living this far out in the countryside, but the regime of the new king is not appreciated by the people much."

Of course Aang had heard the rumours of the impending war with their southern neighbour Watrib. Everyone in the kingdom had with the way the Phoenix King had been gathering his resources for several years now. But why was Zuko bringing that up?

"What does that have to do with you?"

Suddenly Zuko didn't look nearly as smug anymore. In fact, he looked most displeased when he explained: "There's been a resistance force gathering ever since Ozai's plans came to light. They've managed to find out that Watrib isn't really all that eager for war. So the plan is to overthrow Ozai's rule before he can declare war."

"You're a part of this resistance," Aang finished for the other, and Zuko nodded solemnly. "Okay, great. I'd be happy to help."

Zuko gave Aang a withering look, clearly not taking him seriously.

"I mean it," Aang insisted. "This is for the good of our entire country, and Watrib too. Stopping the war before it can begun will save many lives." Grabbing Zuko's arm to emphasise how earnest he was, Aang brought them both to a halt. "And if you're this important to the resistance, that you'd be hunted down like this, then I definitely want to keep you safe."

Several moments passed as Zuko stared at him in bewildered silence. Then, finally, very slowly, the other began to smile.

"We'll be facing untold dangers and pretty near unbeatable odds, hot shot," Zuko spoke, his tone ounces friendlier than it had been once before despite the solemn warning. "But I hear you. If you're that sure about it, then I see no reason to stop you."

Author's Notes: This is why I avoided the obvious connection of Avatar=individual with mysterious powers. Because Aang is much better suited for the role of the hero who always goes "Oh sure, I'll help you (aww yeah sidequest)".